I've been thinking

100 years is a long time

2009-08-27T20:45:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I made a trip back home to Chatom. I've been making a lot of those lately, and will make a lot more in the next 4 months. In the first few years of college I rarely made it back to Chatom. Going home usually meant going to the beach! I'm really glad that I've been able to spend so much time in my hometown recently, though. It's been so nice to soak up my last few months in Alabama while remembering growing up in that small town. I know I'll always be able to come back, but DC is much farther away than Auburn!

This time I went home to celebrate the 100th birthday of Chatom Baptist Church. Should it be anniversary? Either way, 100 years is a long time! It was so much fun to sit in that church and just listen to the history. It was especially neat because so much of the history includes my family. My great-great-grandparents were founding members of the church and set an example of faithfulness that has continued until today. I'm so thankful that the Lord continued to call the Schells/Hensons/Smiths/etc. to himself! I certainly hope and pray that he continues to do so for another 100 years!

6 months....

2009-08-03T10:35:00.002-05:00

... since I last posted here. I miss it. I'm going to try and start writing again. Granted, I don't think anyone will be as excited about my life in Auburn as they were about my life in Barcelona, but it will get me in the habit again. So, I'm going to use this space to write about my last 4 months and 29 days as a single lady, wedding planning, and all the tears I will shed about leaving Auburn. Maybe, just maybe, after January 1 there will be a new blog to go along with my new last name... :)

P.S. Jan. 1, 2010 is the big day... PTL!!!

Life since Spain...

2009-02-15T22:54:00.003-06:00

#1: This is mostly so I can look back and remember the last couple of months. It probably won't be entertaining.

#2: I already know that it will be horribly written.

I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but have only now taken the time to do so. Granted, it's 11 PM and I should be doing homework, so this should probably be classified as "procrastination tool." I've officially been home almost 2 months, but it has seemed so much longer!

I think I've gotten to the point that I can look back on Spain with fondness. It's not that I didn't enjoy my time there, but it was difficult. I have such a busy/fun life here in the States and many friends and family. I was harder to be away from them than I thought it would be. The last 4 weeks were really hard! It was not fun to watch my new fiance hop back on a plane to the States. I was definitely ready to be home after that! However, in the past week or so, I've been thinking back to specific days or trips with much fondness. I keep retracing my walk to school, the walk to the peanut butter aisle in El Corte Ingles, the walk down La Rambla... as much as possible. I can tell I'm losing the vividness of some of those sights. I know I have to get back there one day.

After I flew home, I was of course bombarded with, "How was Spain?" I really appreciate everyone's interest in the trip, but how to you answer that in the 3 sentences or less that they will listen to? "Um, it was different but good." "I enjoyed it." Those can't adequately describe the emotions and experiences that I had there. I don't really know if I had the wonderful experience I thought I would. It was fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone (just not through KEI), but I don't think people want to hear, "It was alright."

Christmas break was excellent. I got to spend much needed time with my family, friends, as well as with Joel and his family. I think I was a little awkward around everyone at first, but it doesn't take long to relax when you are home. However, that doesn't mean that I wasn't busy. I came home and immediately launched into Christmas mode. After that made a trip to B'ham and brought Joel back to Chatom with me. We then spent a wonderful New Year's Eve with Kinzie, Adam, Virginia, Sarah, Shane, Brenna, and the star of the night, Savannah, before the Sasnetts came down for the weekend. Then it was back to Auburn to start a new semester!

Now I know why most people don't take 18 hours in a semester. It's hard! I am guaranteed at least 2 tests and an essay every week until May. On top of that I'm taking an 8 hr/week LSAT prep course. On top of that I'm also trying to plan a wedding. My anxiety issues have already started to kick in. I know they're getting bad when I wake up anxious. Worry/anxiety is something that is a huge struggle for me. It's a sin that I constantly battle. If you think about it, I could definitely use a prayer or two.

I'm really tired and I have no clue what to write about next. So, I'm going to go to bed. Maybe you should suggest a topic for me, and I'll use it for my next post.

A Domino effect.

2009-01-29T12:15:00.004-06:00

Well, my favorite magazine is closing its covers. I read People is the magazine that I read most often (maybe because it's weekly), but I'm always a sucker for Domino. I've read several stories of magazines having to stop their print because the economy sucks, but this one makes me really sad. I really like interior design. My mom definitely passed that on to me. Domino is one of those magazines that you can look through to see beautiful rooms, but they're accessible. It's like mixing Oscar de la Renta and Oscar's flea market. You think it would be bad, but it's oh so good!

If you've never experienced the wonder of Domino, click the link to check it out. I'm not positive, but I assume the website will live on.

I know that I'm pretty crappy at writing the blog entries that I say I will, but know that I have the best intentions. Soon, friends, soon.

Thank you, Joel, for pointing out my grammatically incorrect first sentence.

New year, new president

2009-01-20T11:18:00.002-06:00

As we all know, at 12:00 PM today Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. At this point, it doesn't really matter if we agree with him or not. He is our president, and there are two things that we must acknowledge.

1) Today is truly a historical day. Tears came to my eyes as I watched the Obama family stand on the Capitol's west side. It really was only a generation ago that segregation was alive and strong. I am certain that God doesn't see race, and I don't think we should either.

2) As Christians, we have the privilege and duty to pray for our country's leaders. Southern Seminary president, Dr. Al Mohler, encourages us to pray, and shows us his prayer for President Obama here.

I encourage you to take a moment today to pray for Barack, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama (by name:)), and for wisdom for our nation's leaders.

Toledo!

2009-01-14T16:37:00.008-06:00

So after stuffing our faces with tapas the night before, we arose pretty early Saturday morning and walked to the train station.

Our destination was Toledo. This little city is about a 30 minute train ride from Madrid. Like Granada, you instantly feel like you're seeing the real Spain when you're there. I don't really remember all of the history, and I would botch it if I tried... look it up on Wikipedia. Trust me, you might be amazed :)

It's one of those cities that you immediately feel cozy in. I think there are only about 80,000 citizens, and it has definitely maintained that village/small town vibe. Unfortunately, it was REALLY cold and windy that day, so parts of the tour weren't very enjoyable and I didn't "absorb" it like I should have. I really should have done this a long time ago because now I can't remember much! I'll just let the pictures do the talking :)

The next to last picture is most of the group at lunch in Toledo. It was in this restaurant that I discovered a hole in the crotch of my favorite pair of jeans. Awesome.

The trip was really fun though. Now I'll leave you with the view from the room Porschia and I were in.

That crazy lit up roof is the roof of a club in Madrid. We were told that it's "where all the pretty people go."

Madrid

2009-01-13T22:49:00.001-06:00

I'm trying to be enthusiastic as I write this post, but it's hard. I'm going to finally write this post because I know some people still want to see pictures from Madrid, and I don't think I can write my other posts until this one is done.

So, the morning after our Thanksgiving feast those of use in the KEI program boarded a train to Madrid. We got to ride the really fast train that my dad has been talking about since last Spring, but I was unaware of this until we arrived in Madrid. It was a little anti-climatic.

While in the city and the few days after I didn't think I liked Madrid. However, now that I think back on the trip, I think that it's a nice place. Maybe this is due to the fact that our group felt more like a group of friends than we had before. We finally got used to being around each other and could just hang out together.

We arrived in Madrid before lunch and had some free time to look around. Well, were were supposed to have quite a bit of time to look around, but it took some people a really long time at the bank, so Porschia, Chenell, Hunter and I left them. We only made it as far as KFC. It was gross and Chenell got sick, so I don't have especially fond memories of that lunch. After lunch we all headed to the famous Prado museum. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but I did get some before we headed inside.
I have no clue which street this is, but I like the picture.
I'm pretty sure this is the front of the Prado. I don't really remember.
I got a few excellent pictures of Porschia, but I'll keep them under wraps... I think she would appreciate that.
I thought this church was pretty.
Juan-our tour guide at the Prado and in Toledo.

After the Prado, but before the tapas tour, a few of us stopped at a cafe for drinks. I was really cold that weekend, and we wanted heat! I'm not sure what happened to the rest of the group.
Caroline + cafe con leche = happy. Sorry for showing you a sideways picture.

Then, we met up with everyone for the tapas tour. Tapas are a much bigger deal in Madrid (and the rest of Spain) than they are in Barcelona. I didn't like them at all until this weekend. Genevieve took us to five different tapas bars so we could try all of their specialties. By the end of the night we were FULL! I didn't get many pictures of the food. It was almost gone by the time I could get my camera out.
Hunter and Jonathan getting ready for a night full of food.
According to the Guiness Book of World Records, this is the oldest established restaurant. In. The. World.
I was excited about my newfound love for tapas. Matthew wasn't putting up with any of my shenanigans.

This is the only picture I have of any food from that night. Patatas Bravas. Hunter was a happy man after eating in this bar.

Coming soon... Toledo!

Oh, motivation, where hast thou gone?

2009-01-13T14:15:00.002-06:00

So I've tried several times to write a blog post. I know I need to finish my Spain posts, and I have a few more I want to write. I've definitely become one of those people. You know the ones that are constantly thinking about which parts of the day are blog-worthy. That's ridiculous. I do like blogging though!

So, be on the lookout for many posts over the next few days. And if I don't write any, you should call me out on it. Hasta!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-29T10:10:00.003-06:00

We had a very quiet, but excellent Christmas. I've been in Pelham with Joel's family since Friday. We've had some good time with his family in Jasper, as well as with his sister and brother-in-law. I love getting to know his family more and spending time with them. I don't think I could have hand picked a better family to marry in to.

I know I haven't finished my Barcelona posts. I'm working on one about Madrid, as well as some that include random thoughts about Barcelona. Hopefully those will be posted soon, but probably not until 2009. :)

Speaking of, I am SO EXCITED about seeing everyone New Year's Eve!!!! It's going to be so good to see everyone again... and to meet Miss Savannah Grace!

Hasta...

Merry Sunday before Christmas!

2008-12-21T09:45:00.002-06:00

Well, I made it home from Barcelona! It feels so good to be back. Last night I spent the evening at some friend's farm in the woods. It was a throwback to high school. I don't miss high school, but I miss those trees, the thousands of stars, and the bonfire. I'll soon get around to updating on my last few days in Spain, but until then I'll leave you with this version of my favorite Christmas hymn. Enjoy!

Where are your manners?

2008-12-15T13:45:00.002-06:00

If you're out roaming the streets while it's raining, by all means you should have your over sized umbrella with you. I would use mine to.

However, if you are utilizing said umbrella you should not take up the small, dry space that building eaves so kindly provide.

Give the ill-prepared a little help, won't you?

Oh, Mr. Sandman...

2008-12-09T08:53:00.002-06:00

Just bring me some sleep!

Last night I turned my light off at almost 2 AM. At 4:03 I looked at the clock because my phone started going crazy (it's beside my clock). I had not slept a wink yet. I tossed and turned some more for a long while and then when I looked at the clock it was 7:47. I woke up at 8:48 to go to class.

This happened the other night as well.

I would really enjoy some sleep.

I think my body is getting tired of my Spanish bed.

New posts about Madrid coming tomorrow or Thursday!

Czech Me Out!

2008-12-06T09:55:00.000-06:00

So, it's the afternoon, and I need to be writing a very long paper about La Movida. What better time to write a blog post about Prague! This post will be very very long. Our internet is working well at the moment so I have to make the most of this opportunity.

Oh, and I'm listening to Christmas music. I don't like Christmas music unless it's a hymn. Something must be wrong.

By the way, did you know that you can listen to the radio on iTunes? I remember doing it once in high school before anyone really cared what iTunes was. I rediscovered it today. Oh, the things you overlook...

"Hang your stockings and say your prayers because Santa Claus comes tonight..."

My internet just started going in and out, so this post could take a llooooonnnnggg time to write.

In the beginning of November, Porschia and I took a trip to Prague. I had wanted to go to Prague for several years, so I knew this was one trip I had to take while I was living in Europe. Sure enough, Prague met and exceeded my expectations. I have to admit, I was initially a little nervous and scared I would be let down because it was already dark when I arrived. And it was 4 PM. I don't think it should ever be dark when you arrive in a city for the first time. Especially at 4 PM. However, everything is clearer in daylight and I fell in love the next morning. The city is beyond beautiful. It's so strange to walk into a building and then realize people have standing in the same spot since 1200. It's cool to observe history firsthand.

We hopped on the bus and then on the tram to get to our hostel. I observed 3 things during this first hour.
1. I don't think I have ever been as confused as I was in my first hour of hearing and seeing nothing but Czech. People talking, advertisements, announcements...
2. Czech people will STARE AT YOU ALL THE TIME NO MATTER IF YOU STARE BACK. I put that in caps because at the time, my thoughts were in caps too. It was odd to say the least.
3. There was no need for us to buy those tram tickets. No one pays anyway.

Then we arrived at our hostel, which I've already written about. I just want to emphasize again that this is the best hostel in the world.

We we to eat and walked around for a long time that night, but I chose not to take my camera. I wanted to kick myself about halfway through the night because I knew we were seeing things that I might not see again. And, when you're seeing it with fresh eyes, your pictures always come out better.

Friday morning we woke up and tried to make it to the free morning tour, but Oma (at the hostel) insisted that we have tea and toast. We were late. So, instead we decided to do a little sightseeing on our own and catch the afternoon tour.

Note: When you are in Prague (because you should go), take the Free Prague Walking Tours. Each one only a couple of hours long and you will get a good feel of the city and the places where you would like to spend more time. The guides work for tips, of which about 100-200 korunas is the norm. (That's still less than $10!)

And that's pretty much how our weekend was. We walked around A LOT, and we ate. Porschia and I found out that we travel really well together. We both will pretty much walk until our feet fall off to make sure we see everything, we don't like staying in dirty hostels, and we don't want to sacrifice good food in order to save a few bucks.

Now, what you've all been waiting for.... PICTURES!!! (I took 396, so it will be hard to pick just a few)

I had to have a picture with the astronomical clock. It really was a bit of a disappointment. Unless you're there at noon, it only chimes. At noon the two blue doors at the top open, and little puppet people pass by. I remember a show that used to come on the travel channel. It took 5-6 college aged kids and sent them around the world to just video their adventures. The first episode I saw was in Prague, and all I remember about it was the puppet people passing by the doors.

Walking towards the gateway to the Charles Bridge. All of the streets are tiny and cobblestoned (is that a word?)

One of many statues on the Charles Bridge.

This nice, wholesome work of art is by the Czech artist David Cerny. I'm just going to copy and paste the description from his website. The idea is disarmingly simple. Two bronze sculptures pee into their oddly-shaped enclosure. While they are peeing, the two figures move realistically. An electric mechanism driven by a couple of microproccesors swivels the upper part of the body, while the penis goes up and down. The stream of water writes quotes from famous Prague residents. Visitor can interupt them by sending SMS message from mobile phone to a number, displayed next to the sculptures. The living statue then ‘writes’ the text of the message, before carrying on as before. He has several other works in Prague including one with babies climbing up the building, a man hanging from a window, and this...

Moving along...

This is the world's smallest street. It really is an official street. At the bottom is a restaurant, and there is a traffic light to let you know when to walk. Apparently people get stuck in there a lot.

Lennon wall. The graffiti on this walls started when John Lennon was killed. The city repainted it several times before deciding to "Let It Be."

I'm pretty proud of that one...

The main courtyard to the BIGGEST CASTLE IN THE WORLD!!!

This is inside the castle. The whole castle is like a big city. I don't know why blogger stopped rotating my pictures for me.

The president lives in this part of the castle. When the flag is up it means he is home. It was up. We hung out for a few hours.

How beautiful is this city!

One night Porschia and I decided to go on a riverboat cruise. The website told us, "Do not compare it to riverboat cruises that you might find in London or Paris and you will have fun." The next two pictures were taken from the boat. Low light + moving boat = more than a few blurry pictures.

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The church in Old Town Square.

The old gunpowder tower... or something?

Caroline, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle

Watch out, Reuben! Porschia has a new man!

The Charles Bridge and Prague Castle in daylight.

My next little story and photo montage concerns our Saturday lunch. We had been told to to to a beer house called U Fleku. The building has been there since the 1400s, and it is the place to go to experience Czech culture. The Czechs are especially proud of their beer. So, we went to U Fleku to have some traditional Czech food, and had to have the beer because they don't serve anything else... seriously. You don't even get to choose what kind you want because they just put it in front of you. Before we finished we saw at least 3 people either passed out or carried out the door... and it was NOON! I must say it was a good experience though. There were musicians playing Czech folk songs and everyone sang along, the food wasn't great but wasn't terrible, but it was the kind of loud boisterous environment that you only see in movies. I loved it.

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Wenceslas Square to one direction...

...and the other direction. It's large. The entire time I was trying to remember the song, but it was only after I came back that I did.

I think this is the national museum... or library...

And that's pretty much it! I'm tired from uploading all of those pictures, but I have one more. I woke up during the flight back to Barcelona, and this is what I saw from my window...

Isn't God good?

The BEST hostel in Prague!

2008-12-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

Before I write my post about Prague, I have to give a review of the hostel we stayed in.

Porschia and I found our hostel on HostelWorld (I told you I love it!) Once again, the most important criteria we had was its cleanliness rating. One we found Prague's Heaven and it's 99% cleanliness rating, we were sold! The price was pretty good too!

So, we arrived at Prague's Heaven at around 5 Thursday evening and were greeted by the nicest people. The hostel only has a few rooms but it's really cozy and has been updated. The bathrooms looked like they were remodeled recently. They showed us to our room (we got a private room) which was SPOTLESS! No kidding. I don't love staying in hotels anyway, but this room and bathroom were cleaner than many hotels that I've stayed in before. I've stayed in nice places before, but youth pastors and field trip organizers aren't the best at picking winners, you know. My mom would have been okay staying here... and that's saying something :)

The staff were really helpful in showing us where to go and places to see. In the mornings and afternoon Oma (one of the owner's mother) would greet us with breakfast or hot tea to knock off the chill. She didn't speak much English, but she was the cutest thing ever. If you have to be somewhere at a certain time, build in about 20-30 minutes for morning time with Oma :)

The only semi-negative thing I have to say about Prague's Heaven is it's location. It is not located in the middle of the tourist attractions (Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, etc.), but it's really not a problem. The tram system runs 24 hours a day and is really efficient. It took maybe 10-15 minutes to get to all of the action.

If you're making a trip to Prague, try to stay at Prague's Heaven. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Where to Stay: Granada Hostel edition

2008-12-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

After searching around on HostelWorld (which I highly recommend), Jonathan and I decided on Mochi Guesthouse. It combined the main two things we were looking for: a high cleanliness rating (me) and it was fairly cheap (Jonathan). So we booked two beds in the co-ed dorm and away we went! (By the way, the co-ed dorm thing was a little weird for me.)

I have since stayed at nicer places, but my time at Mochi Guesthouse made for a good first hostel experience. On the upside you could use their internet and kitchen as much as you wanted. The beds were very comfortable and clean and the people running it were wonderful! Takashi deals with all of the customers and is fluent in several languages. He was very helpful and easy to talk to. We hung out some while I was waiting on Jonathan. His mother owns and lives in the guesthouse. She only speaks Spanish so she didn't interact with guests much, but she did wake up at 5 AM to call a taxi for me!

On the downside, it is located in the heart of the Albaicin area and about a 10 minute walk to all of the action. If Jonathan had not been with me I would have felt very uncomfortable walking back and forth at night. There were some girls traveling alone that did it, but they must be braver than I. Also, Granada is in the mountains and it gets very cold once the sun starts going down. There was no heat, but the bedding was thick and I actually slept very well.

While I'm sure there are a lot more options (both better and worse) for staying in Granada, I would recommend at least looking at the Mochi Guesthouse. It worked for me!

Caroline and Jonathan in Granada

2008-12-04T06:23:00.006-06:00

In October (I think) my friend Jonathan and I decided to make a trip to Granada. We had heard it is beautiful, and you can get free tapas pretty much any bar you visit. Sold!

Oh, and to show that I learned something while there, Granada was the last city Isabel and Ferdinand captured from the Moors. They are buried here instead of in Madrid like so many other rulers.

These aren't tapas that you get in Barcelona. Barcelona is not a real tapas city. These are real tapas. Of substantial portions. And no let's-see-who-can-make-the-most-creative-but-smallest-tapas-in-the-world either.

So, being the ambitious world travelers that we are, hopped on our 5 AM flight. Oh, and the airport is an hour away. Oh, and we didn't sleep the night before because we had to hop on a greyhound at 3 AM anyway. Anyway... we finally made it. The first thing we did was take a nap. Actually, I napped and read and Jonathan slipped into a coma. After our room was ready and we freshened up a bit, we went in search of some tapas.

After walking around a bit without seeing anything appetizing we just decided that we would go into the next place we came upon. And did we ever stumble across a place. We walked in and took a seat. Jonathan went to the bar to get some drinks and came back with the weirdest look on his face.
Me: Trouble ordering?
Him: I think this is a gay bar.
Me: What? No, maybe there are just some gay people here.
Him: I saw rainbow flags, and look at the wall behind you.

I turned around and there was an entire wall covered in pictures and articles promoting homosexuality. Then we started noticing all of the people in there. Definitely a gay bar. We just laughed at ourselves and finished our drinks, but it was an interesting experience to say the least. And we didn't get tapas. After that we went to another place to eat, and it was good.

Then we ventured to the cathedral. I actually can't remember the name of it. I'm having a hard time remembering details to most of this trip (should have written this earlier). This is the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen in my life. It's HUGE and amazing. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. They were tuning the organ though, and that was a little annoying. Jonathan and I sat in here for about 2 hours just talking about life and religion. Good times.

The next day our big stop was La Alhambra. This was a city built by the Moors when they occupied Spain. Washington Irving "re-discovered" it in 1829 and made it famous again. You could literally spend 6 hours here and never see all of it. Insane! We only spent about 4... we were getting hungry :).

That night, we met with a friend of Jonathan's and some of her friends for dinner and a flamenco show. Flamenco is really from this region of Spain, so it was cool to see it really performed.

Then I had to fly back the next morning. Sorry for the lack of pictures and enthusiasm. I took almost 400 pictures on this trip, and it's really hard to sift through them all. And I'm kind of forgetting all of the details :(

BUT...

To see more pictures click here.

Thanksgiving in Spain!

2008-12-03T15:39:00.012-06:00

Most of my time here in Spain is spent with non-Americans. So, when we would lament our missing out on Thanksgiving last week, we were met with lots of questions. I ended up getting 2-count them 2!- Thanksgiving meals from these questions. The first one was with my small group at the church I'm attending here. Really it was a Thanksgiving celebration/going away party. Our friend Tim left us for sunny south Spain. He brought Christmas pudding to our Thanksgiving meal... silly Brit.

A portion of our delicious meal!

The guest of honor and I. We're awkward.

This is Heather. We met through our blogs AND she helped us get engaged. She's alright I guess... JUST KIDDING!!! I'm not sure why this is sideways. Blogger usually flips it for you.

The whole group. My camera was the last one, and everyone was tired of taking pictures. You can't see everyone's face.

Then the next night, Porscia and I cooked a feast for my roommates and a few other people. Also, it was Chenell's birthday, so we celebrated that too.

It's not the best picture, but it shows everyone. L-R: Marina, Me, Chenell, Porschia, Jonathan, Hunter, Chris, Anna

This is part of our feast. Porschia made the meats, chicken and beef tenderloin. I made the sides, homemade mac & cheese, broccoli and cauliflower salad, dressing, and caramelized sweet potatoes. And Chenell made rice.

Porschia and I really tried to find normal cake mix so that we could make cupcakes for Chenell, but all we found was flan mix... GROSS! We ended up buying an ice cream cake from Consum (my grocery store of choice). Then she kept trying to make a speech... 2 or 14 times. We had to make her stop because the candles were melting her cake.

It wasn't Thanksgiving with the family, but it was about as good as it could get. I really enjoyed not only sharing some of my culture with people, but I really enjoyed the time we spent together. I really do have a little family here :)

Simply the best...

2008-11-25T09:25:00.010-06:00

...better than all the rest! You know you sang it as soon as you saw the title.

I bet you're asking yourself, "What is the best? What is she talking about?" Well, I'm talking about my weekend. This past weekend starting with last Thursday.

As of Thursday, November 20, 2009, I am officially off the market. That's right, I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!

I'm that girl that started dreaming about being married and having a family as soon as I figured out what they were. I've tried very hard to have patience for this time in my life to come, and now it's here!

I guess you want to know how this happened since I'm in Spain and Joel is still in DC, right?

Thursday started like any other day. I got out of bed about 20 minutes later than I should have. I basically jogged to class so I wouldn't be too late. (Incidentally, I was the first person to arrive that day. First time all semester!) We had a lovely Spanish class, and we left the building discussing an emergency room bill and how insurance works in a foreign country. As we turned the corner beside our school, I turned around to tell one of my classmates something. Well, I never finished my sentence because Joel was walking along behind us waiting for me to turn around! He had flown in to surprise me! I, of course, didn't know what to think. I had no reason to think that he would fly to Spain to visit me.

We went back to my apartment to eat and just hung out for a while. At around 1 Joel decided to go back to his hotel to take a nap and I went for a run. We decided to meet up again at 5 to go to Palau Nacional at Montjuic. As far as I knew, we were just going there because I had talked about it so much. The view is A-MAZING, and it has been my favorite spot in Barcelona since I moved here. So, once arrived and walked up the many many steps to get to the top we sat down to talk and just see the city lights come on as the sun set. After a few minutes Joel wanted to go to the corner "to see a different view of the city." It was there that he talked about the last year and a half and got down on one knee. If I remember correctly, the last couple of sentences went something like this, "I'm tired of saying 'I like you' (taking a knee) Amzie Caroline Schell, will you marry me?"

Actually, I don't know if that was really what was said because I can't remember it all. Who actually remembers details in a moment like that?! I do know he said something about being tired of saying "I like you," though. (We decided at the beginning of our relationship to not kiss or say "I love you" until we were engaged. I don't say that to toot our own horn, but rather to explain that we've been stupid in relationships before.)

So, of course I said "YES!!!!"

Then, because of the time difference, and because everyone we wanted to call was at work/school, we got to hang out for a few hours and revel in our engaged-ness. And then we bought peanut butter. I kid you not. That's just how we roll.

That's our story! The rest of the best weekend yet was spent sightseeing and hanging out with my friends from ICB. It was really fun to show Joel what my life has been like here!

And now, what you've been waiting for. Pictures! Actually, these aren't from the night of the proposal. It completely slipped our minds to take pictures! But we went back the next night for a re-enactment. That's what you're seeing. :)

Yep, I got engaged on the terrace of this beauty...

...with this view!

On bended knee

Hanging out at La Sagrada Familia.

Parc Guell is cool.

The bling! Joel's grandmother's diamond and made by my Uncle Robby. Perfect!

Right now everything is roses and rainbows for us. It's yet to get difficult. I don't expect married life to be roses and rainbows. I expect it to be the most difficult thing I've ever done. But I know it's going to be more than worth it, and I consider it a joy to have the opportunity to work on such a relationship. That's infinitely better than roses and rainbows :)

I'm grateful to so many people for helping all of this work.

Thank you,Heather, for lying. :) Heather created a false trip to the Dali museum so that I wouldn't skip town for the weekend. And I really believed her. And I was really excited to see this museum that everyone keeps talking about. I like what happened more, though.

Thank you creator of Google maps for being so user-friendly and for adding street view for Barcelona. You're contribution to the proposal helped Joel find my school. Joel and I had looked at Barcelona on Google maps several times. I didn't think anything about it because it's not uncommon for him to make me look at a random map for hours at a time.

Thank you Tempest for flying in to see Porschia this weekend. If you had not been on the same flight, Porschia would have never recognized Joel in the currency exchange line. Therefore, Joel might not have ever made it through Estacio Sants.

Thank you Balmes Hotel for having reliable internet. There's no way we could have relied on the internet in my apartment to call and spread the news. (I added a link because it's a nice hotel in Barcelona. It's clean.)

Thank you Uncle Robby in being so generous in making my ring! I LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you Lucinda for reminding Joel that I would like a ring from my uncle. :) And more seriously, thank you for encouraging when I was impatient. You're the best best friend ever! (She got on the phone after having her wisdom teeth cut out just to talk to us. That's a good friend!)

Thank you everyone and their mother than knew about this and kept their mouth shut. :)

Many many thanks to our parents and grandparents for showing us such a wonderful example of marriage. We have conversations about you guys, and we have been blessed by your relationships. You have many years of practice... please pass along some wisdom.

Ditto for all of you recently married friends :) You can pass along some insight that the old pros have forgotten about!

Thank you Joel for choosing me :) You really are the most wonderful man I've ever met. Life is just beginning for us, and it's going to be exciting! I can't wait to be your wife!

Stay tuned!

Posts a plenty and a pickpocket.

2008-11-18T07:01:00.002-06:00

Since I'm SO behind on blogging, the forecast calls for a flood of posts over the next few days. Before I get back to the daunting task of trying to upload pictures with this crappy internet (have I mentioned once or a hundred times that I hate it?) I wanted to share a few stories with you guys.

#1: I have a stalker... maybe.
Last Monday, between my two classes, I rushed to the grocery store to find some lunch. As I was walking down Carrer d'Aribau someone called out to me. I didn't know if the person was actually talking to me, so I turned around to check. He was. The conversation that followed went something like this.
(In Spanish)
Guy: Hi, how are you?
Me: Um... I'm okay.
Guy: You're not from Spain are you?
Me: No. Is it obvious?
(Now in English)
Guy: My name is Dennis. I knew you weren't Spanish. I thought maybe you were Russian or German. I can tell now that you're from the United States. I just wanted to stop you and tell you that I think you are very beautiful.
Me: Er... Thanks, I guess.
Guy: I've see you walking down the street all the time, so I figured now was a good time to talk to you. You're going to Consum, right? (Consume is a grocery store, and by this point I was a little creeped out)
Me: Yeah, a girl's gotta eat sometime.
Guy: And when you go to Consum you walk through the little park as a shortcut, don't you? I see you walking through there a lot. (At this point I was really creeped out.) I live in an apartment beside the pharmacy. My window looks over the park.
Me: Um... okay. Well, I'm going to leave now. This is really awkward.
Guy: Don't be scared, I just want to talk to you. Can we go get coffee sometime? How can I get in touch with you again?
Me: I guess you're just going to have to rely on luck, but I don't think it's a good idea anyway. Goodbye...

Then I walked away very very quickly and took the back streets home. Since then I've been very aware when I go out. I'm not scared of the guy, I just want to avoid him as much as possible.

#2: My reflexes make Edward Cullen look like a slug.
Preface: Edward Cullen is a character in my latest book obsession Twilight (and the 3 following books). My reflexes in this situation aren't really any faster than anyone else's would have been in this situation.

This past weekend, a girl in my program and I went to Prague (more on that later). We flew back to Barcelona on Sunday morning, and it was a very hectic morning beginning with us almost missing our flight. Finally, we arrived at the Barcelona airport and could calm down a little. To get to and from the airport it's more economical to take a train from the city center. Well, we were some of the last passengers to get on the train to take us to the city center, so, needless to say, we didn't get seats. A group of guys jumped on the train at the last minute too. Because we didn't have seats, I just plopped my happy self down on my suitcase to ride home. They guys were standing a little too close to us, but I didn't think much about since the train was quite crowded, however, I did think to put my purse in my lap and I was holding on to it. After a little while I could feel my purse moving some. It was almost like something was tugging at it, but I figured that it was just because people's coats were rubbing against it. I looked down and saw that the zipper was halfway open. That's weird, I thought. Maybe I just forgot to zip it after exchanging my money. I just zipped it up and continued talking to Porschia. Then I felt the tug again. I looked down and the guy standing beside me was trying to unzip my purse!!! I quickly slapped his hand away before he could open it any and gave him my glare. The glare that only comes out when I'm really really mad. Only when I'm seething mad. He stared at me, and then kind of jumped at me to intimidate me! It was as if he was trying to make me feel ashamed that he got caught trying to steal my wallet! What an idiot! Well, I wasn't intimidated and the whole thing was over just as soon as it started. The train was stopping at that point and the guys jumped off as soon as they could. I have a feeling that if they had stayed on longer there would be more than one person getting mad, and it wouldn't have been pretty. (Porschia was just as mad as I was when I told her what happened.) If I had not been sitting down I would have kicked him in the shin or kneed him in the groin. Or even poked him in the eyeballs. As Dwight K. Schrute said, "The eyes are the groin of the head."

Moral of the story: Pickpockets are sneaky. I was paying attention and being careful, and the perp still got his grimy paws on my purse zipper. Luckily I have super sensitive senses and stopped the crime before it could even start.

Coming soon...
Granada
Prague
Maybe I'll think of something else

Valencia numero dos

2008-10-28T07:43:00.017-05:00

As promised, this is the conclusion to the Valencia post... just a few weeks later than promised... I really have tried, but our internet gets worse as time goes on. I just get frustrated and have to remove myself from the situation for a while.

Where did I leave off?

After we finished looking around Mikalet...

Genevieve, our on-site coordinator and tour guide extraordinaire, took us to try orxata (or horchata). Orxata is a traditional drink of Valencia made from tiger nuts. I will now pause for you to laugh at the inappropriate jokes that could be made now.

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This is what it looks like.

I have to say, I didn't like it at all. At all! I tried a few sips, but it's very VERY sweet and kind of chalky. There was just too much flavor for me. Looks like a milkshake, smells like a milkshake, tastes NOTHING like a milkshake.

Our trek through Valencia continued with a tour of the old stock exchange building. I've seen a lot of buildings in my 21 years of life, but this was one of the most impressive. It wasn't very ornate or big, but everything just looked like quality handiwork. It seemed like every detail was carefully planned not to overwhelm, but to give form and function equal value.

I didn't get many pictures, but only because there weren't many rooms to photograph in the first place.

Next, we walked across the street to the market. I love going into markets like this one. There are always so many different kinds of people there... not to mention the many different kinds of food and trinkets. I walked away with a cute little ceramic dish. I think Valencia's market is much brighter and cleaner than Barcelona's La Boqueria.

Here's a random picture of the flags of Spain and Catalunya (I think. Heather, you should correct me on this.)

The last stop on the tour of Valencia was the ceramics museum.
That lady wouldn't get out of the way.

Valencia can claim their fame with two things: paella* and ceramics. Have I told you that already? The museum was interesting for a while, but it showcased lots of things that weren't ceramic at all. Like fans. With pictures of people on them.
Creepy.

There was also a kitchen made entirely of ceramic pieces. It's not for little people. It was a sunken room, and I was standing on the top step.

That's all I have of Valencia. It was a nice trip. I hear that the beach is beautiful, but because of time constraints and the weather we didn't get to experience that. Maybe another day!

*Valencian paella, the original paella, is made with chicken and rabbit meat. Typically you see paella made with seafood, but it's not the original recipe.

Valencia!!!

2008-10-27T10:33:00.014-05:00

Our internet seems to be working tonight, so I can finally catch up a little bit.

All of the KEI students headed to Valencia for our first overnight excursion on October 10 (I think...). I thought I would be getting out of Catalunya for a while, but I was sadly mistaken. It's not that I don't like Catalunyans, but I was ready to see a different "culture." I was really excited because I had heard so many great things about Valencia (mainly about the beach and how beautiful everything is). However, I was just a tad let down. The trip was was still good and the city is beautiful, but it was rainy and cold the whole time. Plus, we never made it to the beach. I would recommend visiting though. It's quite a bit smaller, and much less busy than Barcelona. I think it's perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway for people in Barcelona. It's only a few hours away by train, and there are lots of little shops, cafes, and restaurants to visit.

This used to be a river bed. The river kept flooding the city, so in 1957 the city officials decided to reroute it. Now there's a beautiful park there. You can definitely tell it's a river bed though. It had been raining, and it smelled like nasty river mud. If you've ever smelled that before, and I think it's safe to say that most of the readers here have, then you know it's a really gross smell.

The next few pictures are from our time at the City of Arts and Sciences designed by Santiago Calatrava. He's also designed the telecommunications tower in Barcelona and is currently working on a few projects in the States (like the future train station at Ground Zero).

This is the performing arts building. Can you guess what it's modeled after?
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If you guessed a gladiator's helmet you are correct! That's all I have to say about that.

These are a few more buildings that make up the complex. The first one resembles an eye. It's very hard to see in this picture, but it's very cool in person. Inside there's a domed theater (IMAX), so when you look through the windows from the outside it really does look like the iris of an eye. So clever! We got to watch a movie at the IMAX. It was about the ocean. I fell asleep. I really didn't want to fall asleep though because Johnny Depp narrated it. I'll watch anything that includes Johnny Depp. I even sat through Sweeny Todd for him! Granted, I had my eyes covered 85% of the time, but I was listening even then. I'm getting off track. :) The second building houses a science museum, but we didn't make it farther than the bathrooms there. Our time was just too short.

This is just a garden to the side. I don't think it serves much of a purpose, but what do I know?

Then we had a photo shoot.

Katherine doesn't care, I chose the sorority pose, and Chenell is cold.

Then it was time for a new location.

That darn wind wouldn't leave us alone!

Finally! All of the girls get a picture together!

See, it really was rainy and nasty!

This is the best view I had of Mikalet, the famous church of Valencia. Actually, Mikalet is just the tower, but the whole church is referred to as that. Did you know that the perimeter of the tower's base and its height are the same? Well, now you do.

A view from the top! There were over 200 steps to climb. And they were winding steps with uneven risers that were never less than a foot and a half. Our thighs and butts were definitely burning by the time we got to the top!

So, the internet has decided to stop working like it should. I've been trying to upload pictures for 2 hours now... and there aren't even that many. I think this is a good start though! Too bad it's a few weeks late and I now have another trip to tell you guys about. I'll finish this tomorrow... pinky promise :)

Adoption Spotlight

2008-10-26T09:25:00.002-05:00

I can't say that I'll ever like the Georgia Bulldogs, but I really admire their coach, Mark Richt. This isn't the first time I've seen him "featured" for his faith. It's so encouraging to see another family apply and extend their understanding of adoption through Christ to orphans.

Comida

2008-10-20T14:48:00.004-05:00

This might come as a surprise to you, but.....I like to cook and I really like vegetables. Take a gander at what I ate tonight :)

Pasta with sauteed zucchini, asparagus, and tomatoes in a lemon and light garlic sauce. Yum!

**I really am working on the Valencia post, but it takes forever to upload pictures with this internet. I'm doing it in phases.

Prayer Request

2008-10-19T13:27:00.003-05:00

Hello all! I just found out that my roommate, Alex, has meningitis. Right now she is recovering well, but is still in ICU just so they can monitor her constantly. They say she should be out in a few days. My other roommate and I have already been to the hospital and taken some medication to kill any of the bacteria that we might have. If you think about it, please pray for a quick recovery for Alex and that Anna, I, and the rest of the students at ESEI won't get sick also.

**UPDATE: We just got news from Alex's boyfriend. She woke up today and spoke, which is a good sign. There's still a bit of recovery, but he said today was much better than yesterday.

Here's the deal....

2008-10-18T15:39:00.002-05:00

I know there's some speculation about the whole divorce and remarry thing.

I know she was a little before my time.

I just really wish I could be her friend.

I just really like Amy Grant.